All power in the hands of the Central Cabinet

The article on the anti-people policies of the UPA government that was published in the issue of MEL October 1-15, brings out very well that the party which is in the majority of the central cabinet wields all power in this “democracy”.

The government is facing some difficulties in getting some of its policies approved in Parliament due to the opposition of the people and inter-bourgeois contradictions. But it wants to assure the Indian and imperialist bourgeoisie that it can serve them very well, and hence it took some significant decisions very rapidly. The ruling class may not be satisfied, and hence the Finance Minister has to repeatedly make promises to take prompt decisions re: those sectors where finance capital is necessary. Recently, the Finance Minister said in an interview with BBC that the government will be announcing one policy reform each week that would not require to be approved by Parliament.

In the previous five years or more, several large projects of Indian and foreign capitalists have been opposed by adivasis, peasants, workers, human rights activists and environmental activists on the grounds that such projects will displace crores of people and cause grave harm to the environment which will have a negative impact on the future of our country. In most of the cases the demand has been to stay the project immediately as the Ministry of Environment has not given its consent to the project. This movement has put a spoke in the dreams of the monopoly capitalists, which is why the latter are declaring that there is no need for such permission. The Finance Ministry, who is totally compliant to their command, announced the establishment of a National Investment Board comprising of the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and a couple of other individuals. This Board will have the full authority to approve projects with investments over Rs.1,000 crore.

This clearly reveals that all power is concentrated in the hands of a chosen few in the Cabinet. The Finance Minister did not feel the need to hide this harsh reality. But many intellectuals who think they are very knowledgeable do not accept this fact. It is even more regrettable that many parties who call themselves communist contribute to the illusion that our country is a democracy, and we need to defend it at all costs!

This document, What Kind of Party?, was presented by
Comrade Lal Singh on behalf of the Central Committee
of the Communist Ghadar Party of India to the Second
National Consultative Conference held December 29-30, 1993.

The first part of this pamphlet is an analysis of facts and phenomena to identify and expose the real aims behind the Note Ban. The second part is devoted to a critical appraisal of the government’s claims that it will reduce inequality, corruption and terrorism. The third part is what Communist Ghadar Party believes is the real solution to these problems and the immediate program of action towards that solution.